Definitions & Resources

ATC – Air Traffic Control

CAA -Civil Aviation Authority, UK aviation regulator

Entente Cordiale – a series of agreements signed on 8 April 1904 between the UK and France marking the end of almost a millennium of intermittent conflict between the two nations and formalising the peace that had existed since the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815

FAA – Federal Aviation Administration, USA aviation regulator

GMT – Greenwich Mean Time, the global time standard as measured from the longitudinal line at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London.

Mach number – The speed of sound, 761.2 mph (1,225 kph), at Sea Level

NATS -National Air Traffic Services

Pilot

Satellite

Special Relationship – a phrase used to describe the exceptionally close political, diplomatic, cultural, economic, military and historical relations between the UK and the USA, following its use in a 1946 speech by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Although both countries have close relationships with other nations, the level of cooperation between them in economic activity, trade and commerce, military planning, technology and intelligence sharing has been described as “unparalleled” among major powers

SST – Supersonic Transport

STAC – Supersonic Transport Aircraft Committee

Sonic Boom

V speeds – Velocity speeds

“V1 Rotate” – Maximum speed during takeoff at which a pilot can safely stop the aircraft without leaving the runway. This is also the minimum speed that allows the pilot to safely continue (to V2 takeoff) even if a critical engine failure occurs (between V1 and V2). (see video below towards end of Concorde take-off)
“V2 Positive Climb” – Take-off safety speed (see video below towards end of Concorde take-off)